Mandelbrot
by Frogboy Lives
Summary: A collection of AU drabbles and ficlets, mainly focusing on Callisto and Xena, written for au100. Varied genres.
1. Q and A

**Title:** Q and A  
**Characters:** Callisto, Gabrielle **  
Prompt:** # 089. She **  
Word Count:** 599 **  
Rating:** PG-13ish(?)  
**Disclaimer:** _Xena: Warrior Princess_ and all associated characters are property of Renaissance Pictures. I'm just playing with them. **  
Author's Notes:** Suggestion of f/f pairings, so if that bugs you, don't read.

* * *

"You know what? I think it's past time that you and I had a little talk."

The pain of the fist pulling at her hair, wrenching her head to the side, provided a counterpoint to the cool metal edge pressed against the flesh of her throat, not so hard as to break the skin, but just barely.

"Here's a better idea, let's not."

The pressure increased infinitesimally, still not drawing blood, as the other woman yanked her head further down. "Hush, hush, I didn't say you could talk yet."

"As I was about to say," she continued. "It occurred to me the other day just how alike you and I are."

"You and I are nothing alike!" That earned her a sharp rap on the temple with the pommel nut.

Instead of returning the dagger to her throat, she started tracing idle patterns along her neck with the point. "Oh but we are, you see two simple village girls, content to live out a simple pointless existence, happy in our ignorance of the greater world. Until Xena comes into our lives and changes everything."

Between the pounding in her head, the strain in her joints from holding this unnatural position and that dagger lazily making its way up and down her neck it was hard to formulate a coherent thought. "Not true," she managed. "I hated it there."

"Yes, it's a terrible curse, living with your kind loving family. I don't know how you ever survived."

"They were the only reason I stayed as long as I did. Home was too small, too…not me." Why was she telling her this? "I wanted, needed something different. Something other than just becoming someone's wife and dying in the same house I was born in."

"You could have has that with the Amazons," she pointed out, twisting her fist so it tugged at her hair. "After your foolhardy trick with arrow they would have welcomed you, you could have had, power, status, anything they could give you. If you'd only stayed. But you didn't. Why I wonder?"

"Because…" Did she have to keep doing that with the dagger? She couldn't think. "Because…"

"Because they weren't Xena," she supplied. "Because being an Amazon would have meant giving up on Xena, and I don't think you're anymore willing to do that than I am. Only difference is why."

"Have we covered the part where you're insane yet?"

An amused chuckle. "Maybe I am. But the thing is I know what I want. I want Xena, broken, bloody and at my feet, begging for release, for death. But you, how do you want her?" Her breath was warm on her skin, as she whispered in her ear. "A proud smiling teacher, a confidant, a sister in arms. Perhaps something different, something more. Perhaps you want her in your bedroll, between your thighs. Or maybe, just maybe, you want her moaning, fingers tangled in your hair, begging _you_ for release." Suddenly, briefly, the dagger point was replaced by the tip of a warm, wet tongue darting along her neck. "My question, Callisto, the only question, is whether you follow Xena is because you want to be her, or because you want her?"

She didn't know what surprised her more, the tongue, the question, or the sudden rough hand in the middle of her back, shoving her to the ground. She looked up and brown eyes met green. "I-"

"Hush," Fingers stilled her lips and an incongruously gentle kiss was pressed to her forehead. "Don't answer yet, we'll talk again soon enough."

And then she was gone.


	2. Blame Games

**Title:** Blame Games.  
**Characters:** Xena, Callisto  
**Prompt:** #.019 Pink  
**Word Count:** 100  
**Rating:** G  
**Disclaimer:** _Xena: Warrior Princess_ and all associated characters are property of Renaissance Pictures. I'm just playing with them.

* * *

"I blame you for this."

"Excuse me?"

"He's your brother."

"She's _your_ sister."

"If you had just accepted me into your army, they wouldn't have met."

"If you didn't keep trying to get in, they wouldn't have _kept_ meeting."

"He didn't have to escort me home each time."

"He kept volunteering!"

"It's pretty obvious why!"

"Okay, let's both calm down. Yelling isn't going to help."

"We could _accidentally_ burn them."

"We'll never hear the end of it. Besides we only have to wear them once."

"But they're so, so…pink!"

"Don't remind me. Next time, someone else picks the bridesmaid dresses."


	3. Unwelcome Visitors

**Title:** Unwelcome Visitors  
**Characters:** Xena, Lyceus  
**Prompt:** #009. Months  
**Word Count:** 464  
**Rating:** G  
**Disclaimer:** _Xena: Warrior Princess_ and all associated characters are property of Renaissance Pictures. I'm just playing with them.  
**Author's Notes:** Same continuity as _Blame Games_, just set much earlier timeline wise.

* * *

"Oh, Xe-he-na…"

She recognised that tone. She'd heard it far too many times over the years. Xena didn't bother to look up from the scouts' reports she was going over. "What is it this time, little brother?"

"You'll never guess who's here. Never. Not in a million years."

After taking a quick glance at the chart on the wall, Xena took advantage of privacy her tent afforded to headdesk.

The first time, it had been amusing, flattering even. The kid had obviously taken so much time and effort with the disguise, even though the pretending to be a boy was quite unnecessary, as the bards were quite happy to go on about the Amazons in her army, every single time they took it into their heads to write about her.

Since then, every single new moon, without fail, she showed up. No matter how far the army had moved away from her village. Or if they'd headed in directions that even Xena hadn't known they would. Still as full that of puppyish enthusiasm that made Xena feel guilty, _guilty_, to send her back. Complete with an escort to ensure she actually made it back. At least she'd dropped the fake stubble after Xena had finally gotten it through that it was the age, not the gender that was keeping her out of her army.

Not that that was stopping the kid any. Come new moon, she was back, going on and on about owing debts. Head still cradled in her arms Xena muttered. "I'm not here. I've been on training manoeuvres the past week."

"Can't tell her that, she's been making small talk with Belach the past candlemark," Lyceus oh-so-helpfully pointed out. "So she probably knows you're meeting with his father today. Unless you _want_ to throw away that treaty with the centaurs?"

"No, we need them," Xena rubbed her forehead. "Even if they say no to a military alliance, if we can just get them to play nice with Melosa's tribe, there's one less area for Caesar to 'divide and conquer'."

"Plus you _like_ him."

"He's still in mourning for his wife."

"Over five years, he's ready to move on and his son likes you."

Xena shot him a glare, the likes of which had caused even gods to tremble. "I do not need you playing matchmaker."

"Just doorkeeper," Lyceus grinned, letting her glare roll off him like so much water off a duck's back. "So, I'll send her in?"

"Yes, send her in, then get your horses saddled up so you can take her back to Cirra."

After Lyceus ducked back out of the tent, Xena headdesked a while longer. Who'd have thought stopping the Romans from overrunning one little village would have lead to a persistent, hero-worshipping, blonde, pain-in-the-ass like Callisto?


End file.
